Very bad in the first half, improved in the second, France started the 2026 World Cup with a victory, defeating Senegal 3-1 in the opening match of Group 9 of the competition. 

In front of 80,745 spectators in New Jersey, the Africans showed that they could achieve a miracle comparable to that of 2002 when they defeated the French in the opening match of that tournament. They dominated the first 45 minutes and missed great chances with Jackson hitting the post in the 30th minute and Sarr missing from the height of the small area at the end of the half (45+6).

The rest, however, belonged to the “tricolors”. The score was opened by Kylian Mbappe, assisted by the top Oliseh, in the 66th minute. The victory was “sealed” in the 82nd minute by Bradley Barcola, scoring on his debut in a World Cup match, just two minutes after entering the match. The 18-year-old Baye pulled one back for Senegal in the 5th minute of injury time, while with the cross, Mbappe made the final 3-1 and made history as the top scorer in the history of the French national team with 58 goals, surpassing Olivier Giroud.

Referee : Alireza Fagani (Iran)
Yellow Cards : –

The compositions of the teams:

FRANCE (Didier Deschamps) : Meignan, Koudet, Konate, Saliba, Hernandez, Chouameny, Rabiot, Oliseh, Dembele (80′ Barcola), Mbappe, Doua (87′ Cherki)

SENEGAL (Pape Thio) : Mendy, Diatta, Coulibaly, Niakate, Diouf, Idrissa Gueye (88′ Sis), Kamara (76′ Diarra), Pape Gueye (83′ Illiman), Ismaila Sarr (76′ Baye), Jackson (83′ Dieng), Mane